Number 15 is variation on my old number twelve, which was made from a teak 2x10. I was gifted a four foot 2x10 of old redwood, and #15 is an attempt to use up the naughty wood. I tried to place the hard knots at the tail end of the guitar. Some days the knotty wood just drives me so bonkers when I try to cut or carve through it, that I wonder why I used those naughty pieces. But I will overcome, it seems like I always do.






Serial Number - 015

 

Type of Instrument - SoIid Body Electric Headless 

Body Material - Redwood 

Finish - 

Neck - One Piece Construction 

Fingerboard -  

Number of Frets - 

Bridge - "Les Paul" Type ; GoId Plated

Nut - Zero Fret ; Redwood/Brass Anchor Block 

Tuning Machines - Custom Made 

Scale Length - 

Truss Rod - 1/2 thick wall square steel tubing

Neck Width at Nut -  

Bridse Width at Saddle -  

Body Length 

Body Width at Upper Bout 

Body Width at Lower Bout 

Body Width at Waist 

Body Depth - 

OveralI Length 

Pick Ups -  

Residence - still under construction

7/3/14 - #15 top side - The body got roughly shaped in and sanded over one time through. There are a lot of knots here, so I am giving the body a wash / sealer coat.

7/3/14 - #15 back side - The body got roughly shaped in and sanded over one time through. There are a lot of knots here, so I am giving the body a wash / sealer coat.

7/2/14 - #15 front view - I carefully ran some steel wool over the frets and ran a rasp over the body. I tried to use up some naughty wood at the tail end, and I tell you, those are some hard knots.

7/2/14 - #15 - I'm sorry for the poor picture of the re-glued head block for #15 and #14 on the side. They are on top of a piece of slate that has my sharpening stone, lately. I have a set of sharpening stones somewhere, but the slat woks, for now.

7/1/14 - #15 - Here is the head block / string retainer with slots roughed in, from the mounting face view.

7/1/14 - #15 - Here is the head block / string retainer with slots roughed in, from the top view. I did not anticipate the redwood to split away between the string grooves, but we'll see what tomorrow brings...

6/30/14 - #15 - Well, the frets stayed put through the filing of the fingerboard edges, So I think we will try this redwood fingerboard idea out, for a little while. I use the Zero Fret technique, instead of a nut. This is old school and I employ it exclusively on all my instruments. It allows for a more uniform individual string voicing on open chords. I like it. When I set the frets, I set all the frets except for the Zero Fret, the end file, then flat file the fretting surfaces with just a few strokes to level them evenly. Then I install the Zero Fret. That's my technique, a little off from mainstream, but I believe I can hear the difference between a nut and Zero Fret.

6/29/14 - #15 - Twenty four frets installed into the Redwood fingerboard. I have only used Ebony, Maple, and Teak as fingerboards, so far. This Redwood is old and stiff, but I think it's still a little too soft to really hold the fret wire in my opinion, as I am hard on my personal instruments. Between that, and the inlays that need more contrast in color to pop out in a less than optimally lit area, that I am half tempted to wait for Maple or Ebony. Teak was soft also, so it would not be my first choice for a fingerboard anymore. Oh well, I'm glad I used contact cement to glue the fingerboard down.

6/28/14 - #15 - walnut fingerboard inlays already glued in yesterday, but scraped to flush today. They don't contrast that much, but we'll see what happens tomorrow.